Harry Potter and the Vindication of Light
by byron245
Summary: HP, RW, HG, GW will all grow and develop in this story of Harry's sixth year as Voldemort and life in general give them experiences that will shape them forever. HPGW RWHG
1. Freedom From Bad Relations

**Chapter 1**

Harry jumped, quickly casting a grappling charm on the wall. From there he pushed off over the heads of his attackers, casting stunners as he went. Three of the four attackers went down at once. The fourth had managed to erect a shield in time to deflect the stunners. He missed Harry's sticking charm however, being far too focused on the stunners. Harry cast a grapple for the light pole and stuck his feet so he hung upside down from the light arm. Luck was with him as the light itself was broken. The final assailant was just discovering his inability to move his feet when Harry banished a trash can into the man's mid-section. The attacker's wand was knocked from his hand and Harry took the opportunity to stun him. Harry released the charm holding his feet to the pole and cushioned his landing.

"Accio Trench!" Harry shouted, grabbing the coat from the air as it flew towards him. Donning the trench, he bound the four men with ropes from his wand. He thought for a second about what to do with them and then a slightly sadistic smile formed on his face. He had discovered, his first week back at 4 Privet Drive, that the emergency portkey the order had given him to ensure his safety, was also functioning as some sort of tracking beacon. He tied the four attackers together and then affixed the portkey to the bindings, ensuring all a one-way trip to the Order evacuation point. Harry amused himself with the thought of the reactions the Death Eater's arrival would have on the rest of the Order. Securing his wand in it's fore-arm holster and pocketing the DE's wands, strolled out of the alley a few blocks away from Privet Drive and prepared to leave Little Whinging forever.

_Meanwhile somewhere in London..._

Tonks landed flat on her backside as the portkey delivered the Death Eaters Harry encountered to the evac point. She got up quickly, drawing her wand as she did. She approached the unconscious Death Eaters with the cautious gait of one who is quite thoroughly confused. As she inspected the Death Eaters she caught sight of the Order's emergency portkey attached to their bindings. She was about to contact Dumbledore when something else caught her eye. There, on the left claw of the phoenix was the miniscule variation that set this particular portkey apart from the standard issue ones. That variation held the tracking charm which was given to Harry Potter, to aide the guards on Privet Drive in keeping track of him. She immediately pulled out the small compact Dumbledore had charmed as two way communication devices.

"Dumbledore!" she shouted into the mirror with all the urgency she could manage. The mirror occluded for a moment and when it cleared, Dumbledore's face was pictured.

"Tonks, what is it I can do for you today?"

"Albus, I'm the guard at the evac point currently and four DE's, bound and stunned, were just portkeyed in."

"While alarming in and of itself, I get the feeling that is not what has you most worried."

"No Albus, the worst part is that I'm fairly sure they were portkeyed in with Harry's emergency key."

"Are you sure?!?" Dumbledore's face had gone a very pale white.

"It has the variation, unless you made another and didn't tell us."

"There is no other!" His voice hardened suddenly. "Stay there. Severus and myself will join you shortly."

The communication was ended suddenly and Tonks stowed the compact. After about 15 minutes, there were two pops signaling apparition. Dumbledore strode over to the four DE's and immediately examined the portkey.

"It is, without a doubt, Harry's key. Nymphadora please turn the Death Eaters over to Kingsley at the ministry and proceed to Grimmauld place as quickly as possible. Severus before she leaves please identify the four Death Eaters so that she can pass that information on. I will proceed to Headquarters immediately and call an emergency meeting."

Snape strode over to the DE's and identified the four of them, giving their names to Tonks and remarking that they had all been low ranking, being recruited only two months before. While they were doing that, Dumbledore had contacted Mundungus and recalled him to guard the evacuation point. He then created a portkey and set it to the MLE holding cells in the Ministry. With that, Tonks was gone and Dumbledore and Severus both apparated to Order Headquarters.

_Meanwhile back in Surrey for a bit..._

After gathering his belongings from the curb where he had been contemplating his next move, he thought back to the Daily Prophet article which had lead him to this point. Apparently the minister had decided to pull his head out of the dark place he'd been keeping it and proceeded to make some changes related to the safety of witches and wizards affected by Voldemort's return. One of those changes was the rescinding of the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Magic. So long as a witch or wizard had completed at least one year of magical education, they were allowed to accomplish magic within the confines of the standard restrictions applicable to all. It did however mention that the penalties for misuse of magic and violation of muggle secrecy laws would be much more severe for those still underage. Harry had relished holding that over the Dursley's heads for several days. His relatives then took to taunting Harry for his Godfather's death and Harry, being unsure of the specifics of the misuse of magic clause, did not risk hexing them for it. It finally came to a head tonight when Harry had decided that if he was to stay safe from himself, he would have to leave the protection provided by his relatives and risk Dumbledore's ire.

Shaking his head free of the past, he contemplated his next move. He knew he was going to the burrow, he just wasn't sure how. He wasn't at all sure where Ottery St. Catchpole was in relation to Surrey or even London. He was, however, fairly sure that if he could get to the Leaky Cauldron, he could floo to the Weasley's. Remembering his third year, he took out his wand and raised it above his head. BANG! As it happened last time, the Knight Bus appeared at the curb where he was waiting.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus. Emergency transportation for the stranded witch or wizard."

"Good Evening Stan." Harry said as he placed a galleon in Stan's hand and said "Leaky Cauldron please and hot chocolate as well if it's not too much trouble."

"Of course Neville." Stan said with a wink. "Take any bed you please. We're near empty tonight and the Cauldron was our next stop anyways."

Harry thanked Stan and moved towards the rear of the bus, choosing a bed and setting Hedwig's cage on the floor next to it. Harry laid his head down on the pillow, cast a sticking charm so that he would remain on the bed during the undoubtedly bumpy ride and fell asleep.

_Meanwhile on Grimmauld Place...(sounds like a soap opera doesn't it)_

Dumbledore sat at the head of the table in the kitchen of Number 12 Grimmauld place, silently contemplating what had driven Harry to leave the protection of his relatives. He was fully aware of Harry's dislike for his relatives and assumed as well that Sirius' death was weighing heavily upon the boy not to mention the prophecy, but surely his relatives were providing some sense of comfort or support. Come to think of it, he was starting to gain some insight into why Harry might have left.

He watched as Order members came in and slowly took seats around the table or stood against the wall. When everyone had arrived who had been available to come, Dumbledore stood up and silence fell around the room.

"Harry Potter has left his relatives. Roughly Forty-five minutes ago, four Death Eater's were portkeyed in with Harry's emergency key. All were bound and unconscious, having been rather effectively stunned." Molly Weasley gasped at this and then much to everyone's surprise, "Good for you Harry! Give 'em what for."

"Yes well, as much as I agree that Harry did rather well for himself there and then, we still have no idea where he is now."

Everyone in the room turned to Dumbledore with mixed emotions, fear for Harry's safety, uncertainty as to how to proceed. Even Snape looked masked as opposed to the outright sneer he was accustomed to wearing. The meeting continued on as possibilities were discussed and dismissed or tabled for later.

_Meanwhile Somewhere in London..._

A particularly large bump woke Harry sometime later and he raised his head slowly, trying to clear the sleep from his eyes and mind. Harry looked at his watch and realized it had only been about a half an hour from the time he boarded. He thought it would be about 20 more minutes before they arrived at the Cauldron. He was about lay his head back down when he noticed something under one of the beds near the front of the bus. As he looked closer, he realized it was a rat. The rat turned and looked at him then and squeaked in surprise, if you can imagine that on a rodent. Harry's eyes narrowed dangerously and he drew his wand and cancelled the sticking charm. As he alighted from the bed, he crouched low as the rat cowered slowly into the corner.

"Stupefy!" Harry shouted as he took careful aim at the "rat". The rodent immediately scurried to the other side of the bus as Harry's spell struck the empty space previously occupied by the much hated animal.

"PETER YOU WILL SHOW YOURSELF NOW!!!" roared Harry as he levitated the bed out of the way.

"Stupefy! Immobulius! Stupefy! Impedimentia! Petrificus Totalus! STUPEFY!" Harry cursed quite fluently as he repeatedly shot at the rat on the other side of the bus. Stan was cowering in the front wondering if Harry had gone truly crazy as all the papers had reported him to be last year. Ernie had stopped the bus and was also ducking down. It appeared, however, that the last Stupefy had caught the rat square in the middle. Harry approached the rat with a rather feral smile on his face. He intoned the spell **Sirius** had used in his third year to turn Pettigrew back into a human. Stan gasped in surprise as Pettigrew transformed and turned to Harry.

"He's supposed to be dead. I was 6 when it happened and I remember his picture in the papers. He's supposed to be very dead."

Harry conjured some ropes from his wand that magically bound Peter tightly and then cast the additional spell on the ropes that bound Peter's magic which would include his animagus transformation. He sat quietly for a moment while Stan looked around wildly, trying to find something to give him comfort and settle him.

"Stan, Ernie, if we could get moving again I would greatly appreciate it. Stan do you have an owl or other means of communication while on the bus?"

"Sure thing 'Arry. We got this here miniature fireplace we use to keep in touch with the Ministry's Department of Magical Transporation. Obviously you can't floo through it but you can firecall to someone."

"Good, okay let me make some calls real quick." With that he threw some powder into the box-like fireplace and shouted "Rita Skeeter!".

"Who the... Harry Potter?"

"One and the same Rita. Listen I appreciate the interview last year and if you'd be willing, I'd like to give you another chance at an exclusive interview to be published in any wizarding newspaper of your choice so long as you preserve the truth. I would of course prefer the Daily Prophet be included."

"What are we talking here? Girlfriend, your political views, You-Know-Who's return?"

"Rita your going to have to leave the girlfriend topic alone, seriously it's getting ridiculous."

"Perhaps but it also sells more copies then any other story I've written in the past, last years interview excluded. So what are we talking about?"

"How about the reappearance of Peter Pettigrew and the revelation of the ministry's failure to give a proper trial to Sirius Black 15 years ago."

"Who....what......are you kidding me???"

"I'm completely serious. Meet me at the Leaky Cauldron in about 30 minutes and not only will you have the story, you'll have concrete proof. Bring a photographer."

"I'll be there, but Merlin's beard Mr. Potter, you had better not be having me on."

"No joke Rita just be there."

"I will, see you then Mr. Potter."

Harry turned away from the Fireplace for a second to check on the ETA to the Cauldron. Ernie told him about 25 minutes so he decided to make one more floo call. Before he did though, he retrieved his black cloak from his trunk and pulled the hood up.

"Leaky Cauldron!"

As the Cauldron appeared before him, some of the patrons looked over at the fireplace, startled at the sudden noise. It wasn't often that a floo call came into the Cauldron itself.

"Could one of you fetch Tom for me please, it's rather urgent." One of the patrons got up and went over to the bar and, after a moment or so, returned with Tom in tow.

"Thanks sir, I really appreciate it." He told the patron in a tone that was at the same time grateful and dismissive. After the patron had wandered back to his table, Harry beckoned Tom closer to the fireplace.

"Tom it's Harry Potter." He said quietly as he pushed back his cloak hood.

"Blimey, Harry what are you doing?"

"Repeat of third year Tom with a twist. I was wondering if you had a private dining area I could rent from you and if you could show Ms. Skeeter into that room once she arrives."

"You'll be arriving by Knight Bus then, how long?"

"Around 20 minutes or so. I could really use this favor Tom. Also I'd like you to sit in on the interview as a witness. I'm trying to have as many trustworthy people as possible to lend weight to this story."

"That's fine Harry, do you need me to contact Dumbledore?"

"Not yet Tom, I'll do it once I arrive and take care of a few matters."

"Alright Harry, I'll arrange the Private room and keep an eye out for Ms. Skeeter."

"Thanks Tom, I appreciate it more than you can know." And with that Harry cut the connection. He walked over to one of the beds near Pettigrew to keep an eye on him as he waited for the end of the trip.

_Meanwhile at the Burrow...(these things are sort of like Batman)_

Ron and Ginny were sitting in the Burrow's kitchen drinking tea and hot chocolate respectively. Ginny was working on summer homework and Ron was reading a quidditch magazine. Both were waiting for their parents to come back from the emergency order meeting in the hopes they might finally be given some information. Ron was nursing his left arm as the remaining bruises from the battle at the ministry slowly healed. Both looked up at the noise as Hedwig flew in the window.

"What's Hedwig doing here, I haven't written to him yet" Ron said curiously with a touch of concern.

"It's entirely possible he's written you, you daft twit" Ginny replied back looking amused but a bit concerned herself. Ron walked over to take a closer look at the bird and realized there was no note attached.

"She's got no note. The only time Hedwig's ever come like this without a note is when Harry's sent her ahead of him. When he's coming to stay himself."

"Did mum or Dad say anything about him coming early?" Ginny asked

"No not to me."

Ron and Ginny both stared at Hedwig for a moment longer and then looked at the clock. Their parents' hands still sat on unknown where it usually sat when they were at Order Headquarters. After thinking about it for a few more minutes, Ron suddenly got up and grabbed a handful of floo powder from the jar above the mantle.

"Number 12 Grimmauld Place!" Ron shouted into the fire. He waited for a moment and then the kitchen of the Ancient and Noble House of Black came into view. He looked at all the faces searching for his parents when Mrs. Weasley spoke up.

"Ronald, what's wrong? Is anybody hurt? Is Ginny okay?"

"Relax mum everyone here is fine."

"What is it you called for then son?" Arthur asked?

"Hedwig just showed up here with no note and doesn't seem like she's intent to leave either. The only time that's happened is when Harry sent her ahead of him when he was coming to stay. I figured since you didn't mention anything to us about it, you might want to know in case he's gone missing for some reason."

"Thank you Mr. Weasley, that was most helpful. If you please we shall continue with the meeting now and if Harry shows up I would greatly appreciate it if you would contact us and let us know." Dumbledore's voice, sounding very relieved as he spoke quietly to Ron's head in the fire. Ron nodded and cut the connection.

As he turned around Ginny spoke up "What did they say?"

"They figure he's comin here. We're supposed to let them know if he shows up." Ron said quietly. He was looking thoughtfully at Hedwig again.

"Why would he have left with Dumbledore's approval though? He knows how dangerous it is out there."

Ron looked more thoughtful for a second and then said "I imagine he probably got real tired of the way he was being treated and decided it'd be easier to ask for forgiveness then for permission." With that, Ron went back to reading his Quidditch magazine and silently hoping Harry would be alright.

_Meanwhile Somewhere in London...(hopefully much closer to the Cauldron)_

Peter was on his back, magically bound to one of the beds on the while Harry waited on the bus to find its destination. When it did, Harry covered Peter with the invisibility cloak and levitated him. When he had decided all was clear, he donned his black cloak, pulled the hood up, and had Stan hold the door of the Cauldron open for him while he levitated Peter in. Stan had Ernie deliver the other passengers, who thankfully had slept through the entire ordeal on the second level. Stan waited until Harry had signaled him and walked in behind him.

Harry walked over to the bar quietly and talked to Tom, who told him Ms. Skeeter was already waiting in the private dining room. He led Harry over to the alcove near the stairs and to a door that was near hidden in the rest of the woodwork. Though most of the customers had looked at Harry suspiciously because of his dress, when Tom had not reacted negatively to his presence they had all gone back to whatever they were doing prior. Harry walked into the dining room and once he had ensured Peter and Stan were through he had silenced the room and magically locked the door. He also cast an imperturbable charm on it so that devices like Extendable Ears wouldn't work. He lowered his hood and greeted Ms. Skeeter with an amused grin.

"Rita Skeeter meet Peter Pettigrew!" and with that, Harry pulled off the invisibility cloak and Rita promptly fainted.


	2. The Interview

**Chapter 2**

"Ennervate!" Harry called out as he woke Rita Skeeter for the second time. She had regained consciousness the first time only to faint again at the sight of the man before her.

Rita finally stayed conscious as Harry helped her back into her chair.

"This can't be.....it simply can't. He's dead, it was all over the papers."

"You, of all people Ms. Skeeter, should know not to believe all that you read." Harry said quietly as he looked at Wormtail. "This man is the reason I was denied my godfather as I was growing up, indeed did not even know I had one. This man is the reason Voldemort walks again in this plane of existence."

"I can see this is going to take a bit of time to work through" Rita said as she got out her quill. Harry was happy to note it was not a Quick Quotes Quill and his respect for Rita grew just a bit.

"Gerald have you gotten a photo yet? ... Gerald? Oh damn he fainted too."

"Enervate!" Harry cast amusedly as the photographer mumbled something about his mother and a canary. Finally Gerald sat up, shrieked rather like a little girl and backed into a corner gibbering.

"Oh do shut up Gerald. Intrepidus! Now please go take as many pictures as you possibly can and be very careful not to lose or ruin any of them or so help me I'll shove your wand up a very dark place and will be quite happy to light a fire there."

Gerald, having been thus calmed, shakily walked over to Peter's bound form and quickly started taking as many pictures as was possible. Harry absently noticed that the film never seemed to run out.

"Now, Mr. Potter, if you don't mind I'd like to find out what in the name of Merlin's left butt-cheek is going on here."

"Very simply put, Ms. Skeeter, My godfather, Sirius Black, was never a supporter of Voldemort. He was framed by this so aptly named rat. My parents, almost 15 years ago went into hiding under the Fidelius Charm. As you know, this charm requires the use of a secret keeper whom you trust above any other person in the world, someone to whom you would quite literally trust your life. My parents had three such friends whom they trusted this much. One was Remus Lupin, but he was unfortunately disqualified because of his condition. Being a werewolf, you are extremely susceptible to capture and once you transform back, are too weak to withstand the inevitable constant torture. Sirius Black, perhaps the closest of the three to my father James, was originally chosen due to his fierce and unending loyalty he has always displayed to his friends. While quite a few trusted people were informed of this choice, as there was a suspected spy within the resistance group my parents belonged to, my parents decided to switch at the last moment to the last person anybody would suspect, Peter Pettigrew. Sirius was a decoy you see, fairly capable of defending himself he could draw all enemy attempts to get at the secret keeper to him. Pettigrew, in the meantime, was supposed to be hiding out and keeping a secret. Peter knew this secret meant his friend's lives and yet did the unthinkable!" At this point Harry stopped for a second as he attempted to get the sadness and anger that was threatening to boil over under control.

"Sirius went one night to the small cottage Peter was supposed to be staying in and found it empty. It was obvious Peter hadn't been there for at least a day or two. With no obvious reason and only irrational paranoia, Sirius then rode to Godric's Hollow where he discovered he was a bit late. Peter Pettigrew had been working for Voldemort and had betrayed my parents to the one person they least wanted to know. He was supposed to have been their friend, he was **supposed** to protect them and instead he **gave** them to the DARK LORD!!" HE BETRAYED THEM AND ALL THAT THEY STOOD FOR BECAUSE HE WAS TOO GREEDY FOR POWER, TOO WEAK TO RESIST THE TEMPTATION, AND TOO GULLIBLE TO UNDERSTAND THE DARK LORD NEVER FULFILLS HIS PROMISES!!!!!" At this point Harry was shouting, eyes literally glowing and power reeking off him. The air around them tingled with the immense amount of power now leaking off the boy who had lost so much.

Rita was mute with awe at the unwitting display of power that was being displayed and immensely sad at the story that she had been told.

Stan was gaping, trying to understand everything he had been told and wondering how the world had gone so wrong so quickly for this young man.

Gerald had stopped taking pictures, dropped his camera and sat down suddenly in the chair in the corner.

Tom was weeping silently, finally knowing and at the same time not wanting to, the palpable pain Harry was feeling at the moment.

Harry stared at Peter his eyes dancing with hatred, pain and grief as he tried to regain some of his control. Suddenly the magic in the air dissipated and the room returned to a semblance of normality as Harry dropped to his knees, buried his face in his hands and cried. For the first time in his life, he openly mourned the loss of his parents and dealt with the guilt and regret he felt at never having known them and having felt responsible, partially, for their deaths. He cried for all the moments they had never shared and for all the experiences he had missed. He cried for his Godfather, the guilt and shame he felt for his death the worst of all. He let all the emotions he had been holding up for so long consume his every fiber as he shook with the intensity of what he was feeling. And then he screamed, at the top of his voice, and in that scream was every injustice and all the helplessness of the world

After awhile, Harry got up slowly and faced the other occupants of the room. "I'm sorry for that." He said as he hung his head a bit and shuffled his feet quietly.

"Harry you apologize far too often for situations that indeed it is you who should be apologized to." Albus Dumbledore said as he stepped out of the shadows. "Ms. Skeeter you have no doubt seen and heard enough for the article, I trust the truth will be well preserved with you. I must ask you, your photographer and Mr. Shunpike to depart for the night while I finish up with Mr. Potter."

Rita, Gerald and Stan left after saying goodbye to Harry who gave a small smile as they left. Once the door shut, Dumbledore asked Tom to restore the wards surrounding the room and sat quietly at the table, motioning for Harry to sit as well.

"How....how did you find me sir?" Harry asked as he sat.

"Very few wizards or witches find they have the power or aptitude to project themselves Astrally Harry. It has its obvious advantages as you can see but it has an equal amount of disadvantages. It is easily warded against and while you can speak and interact with people and objects in your environment to a limited degree, you cannot use magic in this form. This is why I had Tom re-ward the room instead of doing it myself. One other disadvantage is that while you are projecting, your physical self is left defenseless and so the art must be practiced while you are somewhere completely safe. In any case I've digressed from your original question which I've found to be quite dangerous to the objects around me. While you are an incredible wizard Harry and a wonderful person, you have not had much time to adapt and learn the things that most wizards take for granted from childhood. Thus once Hedwig had arrived at the Burrow and your destination was clear, it was only logical you would head to the first public floo that you could think of. I assumed you would want to go somewhere that didn't involve meeting one of the Order's members who would potentially have stopped you. Once I disbanded tonight's meeting, I projected myself here as I assumed it would be empty and would allow me privacy. I was startled when I arrived and found Ms. Skeeter waiting quietly. I confess my curiosity got the better of me and I waited here to discover who she was waiting for and why. You'll forgive me but she does tend to turn up in the oddest situations and her eyes and ears are extensive."

Harry had listened quietly to Dumbledore's imparting of knowledge. After Dumbledore had finished he had sat quietly back in the chair as Harry continued to think and absorb what had happened so far that night. While he did this, Dumbledore called Tom over and asked him to contact some of the Order members to come for Pettigrew. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harry look slightly surprised and then understanding crossed his face as he grasped Tom's status as a member of the Order.

"I am sorry I've caused yourself and the Order worry, but I'm not sorry I left those people. If I hadn't left when I did, I would have done something the consequences of which I would have regretted greatly later. I still want to go to Hogwarts and I don't feel like dealing with the Minister this year." Harry smiled slightly as he said this, more of a sardonic smile then anything but it gave Dumbledore some comfort to see.

"Harry I have made many mistakes in the past with concern to you and one of the biggest was having you live with your relatives. I have no problems with your leaving and indeed should have realized the problem sooner. I am quite aware of how some people think of me, the Great Albus Dumbledore, defender of the Light and greatest wizard of this time. It is therefore saddening to know that I am simply human and can be prone to mistakes just as anyone else. I simply make less of them because of my age and experience but even that is a hindrance because sometimes I am too blinded by my own successes to notice my failures." Dumbledore leaned forward and grabbed Harry's hands in his own and looked intensely into Harry's eyes as he said "Harry I cannot change the past or the mistakes I've made but I'm willing to pay closer attention to the present and the future and hopefully avert any future failures on my part where your concerned. Your like the son I never had Harry, and I find that I'm coming to depend upon you as much as you depended upon me in the past. Please forgive an old man his mistakes and give me your trust once more. We both know what lies ahead in your path and I'd like to work together to ensure he's ridden from this world once and for all. Please give me a chance."

Harry reflected for a moment on Dumbledore's words before replying with as much sincerity as he could.

"Sir, you never really lost my trust. Last year was extremely rough I'll admit. It hurt more then I ever thought it would when you wouldn't talk to me. The past five years I've grown closer to you then we probably should be given our positions as student/teacher. I can't help but think of you as the Grandfather I never had. I don't think our relationship needs mending at all, just adjustment. You need to treat me as more then the child you have been. I stopped truly being a child at the end of my first year and at this point, I'm more an adult then a lot of the adults I've met in the wizarding world. I know my future now, and I need to know what's going on more then ever. I hope you understand my need. You helped to shape that need by encouraging many of my actions in the past. By the way, I'm sorry about your office. I'm not apologizing for my anger but I am sorry for the loss of your things."

"Harry possessions are simply that. They can be replaced and indeed most already have. It has lightened my heart and mind to hear what you've said. Now, as you had already planned out, it is getting late and I believe the time has come to complete your trip to the Burrow. Gather your things Harry, Stan left them just outside the door in the broom closet under the stairs. Up with your cloak hood and get on your way. I will Project myself there to let Molly know your coming and to await your arrival. Good job tonight with both the Death Eater's and with Peter. I assure you he will be detained and we will clear Sirius' name I am very certain."

"Thank you sir, I'll see you there." And with that Harry left the room as Tonks and Kingsley walked in to take Peter. They both greeted Harry and Tonks looked at Harry a little concernedly. Before she could comment though, Dumbledore got their attention and Harry continued out. He found the door under the stars and, with an irony laden smile, checked everything to ensure it was there and gathered his things. Harry went back to the private dining room and was not surprised to find it empty. He walked over to the fireplace and took some floo powder from the mantle. He put his things into the fireplace and threw the floo powder in shouting "The BURROW!" Once he had given a few moments for his things to get ahead of him, he stepped into the fireplace himself with another handful of floo powder. He threw the powder at his feet and once more shouted "The BURROW!" and with that he was gone.

As he traveled through the floo network he watched the grates pass him dizzily. The tingling feeling he usually felt in his hands and feet had spread to his entire body this time and after a moment of thought, he realized it was the magic flowing all around him. Hogwarts usually felt like this only to a much more subdued extent. After a particularly sharp turn which left him feeling slightly nauseous, he wished he could slow down a bit. Much to his great surprise, he didn't slow down but stopped completely. As he looked around him he could see all the different grates in his vicinity and could see the flashes of light he assumed were other people traveling the network. He was scared then wondering how he was going to get out of there now that he had stopped. He started thinking about the burrow again and how much he wished he could be there now and again to his surprise he started moving. Before he had more time to think about the implications of manipulating the magic around the floo network, he was thrown out of the grate at the Burrow and could only think that karma had paid him back for his little discovery.

He was pulled to his feet by an incredibly powerful woman he had come to think of as his own mum. Once he was standing she hugged him with all her might and greeted him happily.

"Oh Harry it's so good to have you here. We've missed you terribly and you have no idea how I've been on Dumbledore for sending you back to those wretched muggles. Ah no worries now though, we have you here and here you'll stay so long as you like. Albus told me some of your journey tonight and I've leftovers from dinner warming if your hungry. Please, please sit and have some tea while we wait for the food. I've sent Ron and Ginny on up to bed for tonight, didn't think you'd want to answer the hailstorm of questions from the both of them. Albus was here letting me know you were coming but we got word of some Order business and he had to leave ahead of your arrival. Told me to tell you he was quite confident in your abilities to arrive alright and unharmed." She went on like that for a bit more as Harry just looked around and soaked in the warmth, love and happiness the Burrow always seemed to have in abundance. As Mrs. Weasley set a plate of food in front of him he was stirred from his musings and greeted her back as warmly as she had greeted him.

"Thank you so much Mrs. Weasley for everything. Ever since I've been coming here I've learned what having a real family is like. Even when Sir...Sirius was alive I never got to talk to him or stay with him properly like a family should. There was never time. Thank you for giving me this experience. I...it's just that...well I don't think my mum would have been able to pick a better replacement since she couldn't be here and well...if I'm not being too forward...would it be alright for me to call you mum?" Harry looked down at his plate quietly while he waited on Mrs. Weasley's reaction. When she didn't say anything after a few moments he looked up only to be given the fiercest hug he'd ever experienced in his life and having known Molly Weasley for 5 years he'd had a few.

"Bless your heart Harry Potter." Mrs. Weasley said quietly as she continued to hug him. "We've always thought of you as one of our own and I'd be honored if you would call me that. Never once think there isn't anyone who loves you or cares for you. I know things have never been easy but if you'll give me some time I intend to set things right properly. Now eat up and head on to bed, I've no doubt Ron will have you up and wanting to play quidditch after breakfast." With that the person Harry Potter had for a while considered his mum, left the room still dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. Harry ate quietly and slowly, the happiest he'd been in a good while and after putting his dishes in the sink to wash themselves, headed up to bed grinning and satisfied that things were going to be ok.

A/N: Many, many thanks to rotcneo. My best friend, soon to be best man at my wedding and most of all my brother. Last but not least, he's agreed to be my beta and it's with his support that I've continued this story. Hope you all enjoyed.


	3. Self Realization

**Chapter 3**

Harry awoke suddenly, his scar burning fiercely, and he felt the attempt at mental intrusion he'd become so used to with Snape last year. He was sweating so much his bedclothes were soaked and he was desperate. Last year's dismal attempt at Occlumency with Snape had left him very little confidence in his abilities to block any sort of attack and while he was holding up now, he doubted it would last long. Another wave of nausea hit him as the pain in his scar and now in his head grew worse. He staggered out of the room he was sharing with Ron and moved towards the bathroom. Halfway to the door, he collapsed and grabbed his head praying for something to make it stop. As that wave passed, he got up again and made it into the bathroom and in front of the toilet. When the next wave hit, he vomited until there wasn't anything left and then collapsed against the side of the tub. As he was bracing himself for the next deluge of pain, he again started to feel the tingling, similar to what he felt while traveling through the floo network. Without knowing exactly why he did it, he reached out to the magical energy surrounding him and manipulated some of it to "wrap" around his head so to speak. He paid particular attention to his scar, envisioning the magic slipping between the link that connected him and Voldemort. With a speed that startled Harry, the pain was gone and so was the feeling of someone trying to break into his mind. He gasped with relief and tried to get his breathing under control. He allowed himself to stay connected with the magic as he calmed down enough to draw a bath. After what had just happened he wanted nothing more then to climb into a tub full of warm water and just lie there. The bath finished filling and Harry disrobed and climbed in.

The water soothed his frayed nerves quite a bit and he found himself in a semi-conscious state while he contemplated what was happening. This had been the second time he'd been able to feel the magic that surrounded everything and been able to manipulate it. He reached out experimentally to the magic that he was holding between the direct hotline to Voldemort and from there extended out into the magic all around him. He wondered to what extent he could control this magic and for how long. Deciding to go a bit further, he felt for the magic surrounding his discarded bedclothes and once he had a firm grasp of it in his mind, he gently directed the magic to levitate the clothing. He looked at his floating clothing with equal amounts of awe and reservation. He didn't know how he had come into this ability, but he was extremely hopeful it wasn't another "gift" from his dark nemesis. Harry found himself tiring a bit and suspected the levitated garments had something to do with it. Releasing his hold on the magic, the clothes fell to the floor and he sat back in the tub hoping he would not also have to relinquish his hold on the magic blocking the link. After a few minutes, he realized the link block wasn't draining him in the way the levitation had. As he explored the reasons for this, he realized without understanding when or how he had done it, he had tied off the magic, making it stable and independent of his direct control. He poked and prodded for a bit and began to understand how the tie had occurred and how he could undo it if he desired to. Before he could think about much more of it, his exhaustion overcame him and he fell asleep.

"I'll be down in a bit mum I'm just going to take a shower first."

Harry was startled awake as he heard this and realized that Ginny was about to enter the bathroom. Panicked and not sure what to do about his compromised position, the room was suddenly thick with fog, so much so that Harry couldn't see his own hands in front of his face.

"What happened in here?" Ginny asked as she stumbled and almost fell, grabbing the sink for support at the last minute.

"Erm...s..sorry Ginny, I was in here taking a bath and fell asleep. If you'll give me just a moment I'll be out of here and it's all yours." Harry said as he attempted to melt into the floor. Though after thinking about what had been happening to him recently he decided not to try too hard.

"Harry? What's with all the steam? I take some pretty hot showers and I've never had it this bad." Ginny said with a hint of amusement as she carefully backed out of the bathroom.

"I accidentally overdid a warming charm I think. I was pretty tired. Anyways if you could do me a big favor and just shut that door for me, I'd appreciate it." Harry was starting to get a bit suspicious of the fog and also wanted Ginny to get out before the fog decided it had enough of this particular bathroom and went elsewhere.

"I'm shutting the door but you and I need to have a talk about your methods of hiding. It's going to take forever for this to clear out." With that, the door shut and Harry was again alone in the room. He stood up and was about to get out of the tub when he grabbed the wall for support. The drained feeling from earlier was back in force and Harry was feeling decidedly unsteady. As he reached out again to feel the magic around him he realized he was the inadvertent creator of the fog. He released the magic he hadn't realized he had been holding, and the fog began to dissipate. The energy the magic had required to control was returning to him slowly but surely and after a few more minutes, he felt fine. Not wanting to risk another dip in his energy that could take longer to recover from, Harry put back on his now dry bedclothes and opened the door.

"Sorry Ginny I didn't mean to hold you up." Harry said as he walked out, seeing Ginny leaning against the opposite wall and waiting.

"It's nothing Harry, I've lived with six older brothers and it's not like I've never had to wait before." Ginny smiled shyly at him as she said this and Harry smiled back causing her cheeks to tint a bit. She reached out tentatively and touched his arm "We've missed you here. Been right worried about how you were fairing with your relatives. It's good to see you smile. It's good to have you home Harry." With that, she smiled at him again and walked into the bathroom and shut the door. Harry leaned against the wall for a minute as he rubbed his arm where she had touched him. He decided he quite liked it when she touched him and when she talked to him, and when she smiled and found he would have to explore all of this in further depth. He walked back to Ron's room with a silly smile on his face and decided that further conversation with Ginny Weasley was going to be required. He quickly changed clothes and headed downstairs as he smelled Mrs. Weasley's cooking, looking forward to a large breakfast. He had left Ron asleep as it was still early and Ron often favored sleep over food if only by a narrow margin.

When he arrived in the kitchen Mrs. Weasley was standing at the stove cooking and there was already a small stack of pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs and hash on the table. She noticed Harry enter and greeted him warmly.

"Good morning Harry dear. Have a seat at the table there and dig in. Did you sleep well?" She dropped more pancakes and bacon on the table and went back to the stove.

"Thanks mum for breakfast." Harry said happily as he added some eggs and sausage to his plate. After pausing for a moment, he went back for some hash and started eating.

"As for sleeping, well, I was wondering if there was some way we could contact Professor Dumbledore. I had an incident early this morning that I'd like to talk to him about a bit if it's possible." Harry looked up at Mrs. Weasley as he heard the sounds of her cooking stop.

"Did...did you see anything?" Mrs. Weasley asked nervously

"No mum, he tried to break in here" Harry pointed at his head "but wasn't able to. I was able to stop him completely but the way I did it is why I wanted to talk to Dumbledore. Mum the stove, something's burning." Mrs. Weasley startled and looked back to the stove in time to save most of the currently cooking sausage. After she had gotten the cooking back under control she turned back to Harry. "We'll attempt to reach him by floo after breakfast if it can wait that long." She looked at Harry for affirmation before going back to the cooking. Harry ate breakfast silently for a bit longer and was only interrupted towards the end by the arrival of the Daily Prophet owl.

"Harry if you could, pay the owl from the tin by the window and get the paper from him please."

"Sure thing, mum." Harry got up and paid the owl, relieving it of its parcel. He sat back down at the table and opened the paper only to laugh a bit before he could control himself.

"Something in the paper funny dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she glanced over at him to find him smiling but looking a bit guilty at the same time.

"Rita Skeeter was faster with this bit of news then I thought she would be considering how late it was last night."

"Harry dear you know you can't trust anything that woman says." Mrs. Weasley said with a hint of a blush as she remembered two years ago when she had believed everything Rita had printed.

"Except for when I give her the interview directly, mum. Last year I gave her the interview involving Voldemort's Death Eaters and what had happened during the Tri-Wizard Tournament. It was truth what she wrote then, and today's article is truth as well. Last night, I had a run-in with Peter Pettigrew while riding the Knight Bus. I captured him and turned him over to Dumbledore after I used Ms. Skeeter's talents to help clear Sirius' name." At this Harry looked rather sad as he contemplated again, the death of his Godfather. Mrs. Weasley came over and hugged him close.

"When will trouble learn to find someone else for once eh? At least, Harry, you've always come out on top and you saved my daughter's life once doing so. We all have our bad moments in life but how we deal with those moments is what shapes our character as a person. I've always been very proud of you Harry, even if you've scared me near death sometimes. Never give up child, you are stronger then whatever life throws at you."

Harry sniffed a bit as he cleared his eyes of a few unshed tears, as much for Mrs. Weasley's kind words as for his Godfather. After he cleared up a bit he smiled shyly.

"Thanks mum, it means more then you know." He said quietly as he returned to the last of his breakfast. He thought about the time he had spent at the Dursley's, a week and two days, and marveled at the concept of his first birthday away from his relatives. Two weeks from tomorrow in fact, he thought as he checked the calendar in the kitchen. He gathered his breakfast dishes and put them in the sink much to Molly's pleasure.

"I think I'm gonna go outside and have a fly for a bit. I missed it a lot last year when Umbridge had me banned." With that Harry ascended the stairs to get his broom. He was so caught up imagining how good it would feel to fly again when he ran smack into someone in the hall. He steadied himself on the wall and looked down to see Ginny on the floor looking up, slightly upset that she had been knocked over.

"Harry, I know that our family has accepted you as the black haired member they never had but always wanted, but this doesn't mean you have to act like one of my brothers." Ginny said with a hint of amusement and exasperation vying for the use of her face.

"I'm terribly sorry Ginny. I was lost in thought and I didn't see you and I just ran smack into you...and well I'm sorry anyways." Harry said looking incredibly cute with his guilty face and big pleading eyes. Ginny couldn't stand it any longer and she laughed out loud.

"Harry you don't have to worry about it, it's not the first time I've been knocked to my arse and it won't be the last. I appreciate your apology though, makes it hurt a bit less."

"Thanks Ginny, I really am quite sorry. I was going to go flying out back for awhile. Would you like to come?" Harry was hoping for some reason, not entirely unknown to him, she would say yes.

Ginny looked at him for a bit as though gauging his intentions. "You want to hang out with me? Just me? Not me and Ron?"

Harry's heart almost broke with the realization that he'd never really talked to her independently of Ron or Hermione and so never kindled an independent friendship with her.

"Ginny I know I haven't been a real good friend for the past few years and I know I haven't paid a whole lot of attention to you. I guess I was always so involved in other things. I don't think I would have been friends with Ron and Hermione like I am really if they hadn't gotten involved in stuff with me from year one. I mean we battled a Mountain Troll in a girls bathroom within the first two months of our magical education. Kind of makes it impossible to leave them out of anything anymore and believe me I've tried. Sometimes I do things I know are dangerous and I don't want to get anyone else hurt. I can't seem to shake them though and that friendship has taught me a lot about the love that friends can share between each other. I've not had the opportunity or inclination to exercise it before but I'd like to be your friend if you'll let me. Apart from Ron and Hermione I'd like to be your friend outright because I think you're a wonderful person and last year you showed me that you would stand by me through anything. Now before I get really sappy on you, I'd like to go for a fly with you if that's alright."

Harry smiled at her as she stared at him for a few moments, wondering what she was thinking. Suddenly she rushed forward and hugged him tightly not letting go for a good minute. She stepped back afterwards and told him quietly "I was always your friend Harry Bloody Potter even if you were too thick to see it. That was one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me though and I readily accept your friendship. I'll just get my broom and meet you outside." With that she stepped into her room and closed the door behind her. Harry stood there for awhile, thinking about Ginny and the way she made his insides squiggle just a little. Finally he walked on towards Ron's room thinking that further conversation with Ginny was not only required but now an absolute must on a day-to-day basis.

When Harry made it outside, Ginny was already out there and waiting for him, staring into the sky aimlessly with a smile on her face that reached all the way to her eyes.

"What's got you so cheery this morning?" Harry asked with a smile of his own as Ginny's had been decidedly infectious.

"Life, Harry, life has me this happy today." Ginny said no more as she mounted her broom and flew low to the ground until she got to the paddock at which point she shot into the sky with an almost unparalleled grace. Harry stared at her for a minute and then hopped on his broom and followed her out. He had used the superior speed of his broom to catch up to Ginny and follow her into the dive she had started. He matched her move for move as she dipped in and out of the edge of the woods. They flowed around the boundaries of the paddock as fluently as any masterpiece in art and grew only more daring as time went on. Finally Harry pulled ahead of Ginny slightly and broke out of their pattern as he shot up a couple hundred feet. Ginny immediately followed him, not one to back out of a challenge and once she had caught up Harry let gravity take control of his broom. He did a perfect One-Eighty and started plummeting towards the earth. Ginny followed him as fast as she could but as the ground got closer so did her sanity and she pulled out of the dive before it was too late for her broom to control her fall. Harry however continued diving until he was roughly six feet off the ground at which point he pulled up hard and leveled his broom off with his knees grazing the tips of the grass.

"WOOHOOOOOOO!!!!!" Harry yelled as he let the feeling of freedom flying gave him engulf his spirit. He pulled up to about eight feet and leveled his flying as he slowed down and calmed his heart rate. Once his breathing had evened out he landed his broom and threw himself to the ground, lying on his back and staring up at the sky and feeling the most at peace with himself that he ever had. Ginny landed next to him and sat near his feet.

"Feel better?" She asked with amusement taking in Harry's expression and noting the redundancy of her question.

"More then ever." Harry answered blissfully. "Flying gives me the kind of freedom I dreamed about for 11 years in a cupboard under the stairs. It's the perfect escape from the world. If muggles could do this I don't think drugs would ever be a problem. Flying made me first realize I was worth something to the world I love. Flying gave me myself."

"Sometimes Harry, you can speak with more power then any wizard has ever displayed with magic."

Harry was silent for a time and then, feeling mischievous he reached out to sense the magic surrounding them again and was going to tickle her with the grass surrounding where they lay. Instead he was shocked to find he could feel Ginny's magical presence. It was a serene pool of intense magical energy flowing around itself next to him. He withdrew his sense to just her and focused on that with this mind while he continued to stare at the sky. With that there was a comfortable period of quiet as they enjoyed each other's company and enjoyed the morning.

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A/N: I wanted to bring time forward a bit with this chapter but it simply didn't want to go. Next chapter though will bring us much closer to his birthday if not the day before it. We'll see what the characters want to do as they dance around in my head. I keep trying to shake them out my ear but they won't go.

Lady of Masbolle: Thanks, your comments and support have meant a lot to me.

Markhp: thank you as well for your kind words.

Lady of the Dragons2: I'm hoping the dialogue will balance out a bit. This is my first attempt at writing anything other then poetry.


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